Country Information on Liberia 

Terrain

Liberia's coast stretches 595 km between the rivers Mano in the north-west and Cavalla in the east. The land rises irregularly as it heads inland from the narrow coastal plain up to a plateau and further inland to highlands covered in evergreen rainforests in the south and leafy forests in the north. The coastal plain, which is between 15 and 55 km wide, is virtually the only developed area. The mountains inland are between 900 and 1,200 m high. Many small rivers run through the country.

Climate

Liberia's climate is subequatorial with rainy seasons from June to July and from October to November. Average annual precipitation is between 1,778 mm inland and 5,080 mm on the coast. The average annual temperature is around 27.8°C.

Fauna/Flora

Liberia's extensive tropical forests are home to mahogany and rubber trees, as well as various varieties of palms. Animals that are found in Liberia include pygmy hippopotami, elephants, and buffalos. The deforestation of the tropical rainforest presents a serious problem, as do soil erosion and the pollution of coastal waters from petroleum waste and sewage. One of the consequences of this is a reduction in the diversity of animal species.

History/Politics

Liberia was colonised by 16 different ethnic groups and was formed as a result of the American Colonization Society, founded in the USA in 1816, deciding to resettle freed North American slaves in Africa. The American Colonization Society acquired part of the British colony of Sierra Leone in 1821 for this purpose. However, the project failed as only about 20,000 freed slaves agreed to return to Africa; the rest decided to remain in the USA.

The first Americo-Liberians settled near today's capital Monrovia in 1822. Right from the beginning, this led to conflict with the native population who rejected the immigrants' European-like way of life and language, which meant that they in turn refused to integrate. Nevertheless, more settlements were created along the coast, which meant that the newly arrived freed slaves got the most fertile land. Liberia became an independent republic in July 1847. From the 1920s, the Liberian economy was based on the exploitation of raw materials by multinational corporations from the USA. It was strengthened in the 1960s when new mineral deposits were found.

The rise in the price of rice in 1979 caused riots, eventually leading to Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe ousting President William R. Tolbert Jr. from power. The president was shot during the coup. Doe banned the opposition parties and declared himself victor of the 1985 presidential elections. The economic crisis in the late 1980s led to an uprising of anti-government rebels in 1989 and the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPLF), led by Charles Taylor, took control of many areas of the country. The subsequent clashes and the split of opposition forces led to years of bloody civil war, during which Doe was shot. Meanwhile, the economic situation deteriorated, resulting in severe food shortages and 60% of children in rebel-controlled areas suffering from malnutrition, in addition to the abundance of fatal diseases.

By 1993, more than one million people had fled the country; as many attempts to achieve peace had failed. In August 1996, a peace agreement was finally made and an interim government was created with Ruth Perry as its leader, the first woman in the country to gain supreme control of the state. NPLF leader Charles Taylor won the presidential elections in July 1997, but his relationship with the opposition ended in armed conflict with the rebel group "Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy" (LURD). As a result, he stepped down in 2003, left the country, and Gyude Bryant became the country's interim president in October of the same year.

Throughout 2004, he implemented the process of demobilising soldiers and disarming the people, as well as repatriating hundreds of thousands of refugees. The 2005 presidential elections were won by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first woman in Africa to be democratically elected as head of state.

Economy

Until the outbreak of the civil war in 1989, agriculture was the most important branch of Liberia's economy; minerals and timber were major raw materials for export. Liberia encouraged, through foreign investment, the tapping of the country's rich deposits of raw materials, mainly rubber, iron ore and timber. By the mid-1980s, the huge Harbel Rubber Plantation, owned by the US company, Firestone, was the country's second largest employer after the state.

More than 65% of the country's workforce were subsistence farmers or were employed in fishing or forestry. In Liberia, there are only a few manufacturers, who produce small quantities of food, building materials and consumer goods. As a result of the civil war which ravaged the country, its infrastructure has almost been destroyed, which means that there are very few job opportunities and insufficient resources available to help reintegrate refugees. In 2003, the unemployment rate was 85% and the inflation rate was 15%.

Culture

Liberia is the oldest independent republic on the African continent. Its capital, Monrovia, was named after American President James Monroe, who was actively involved in the return of former slaves to Africa. School is obligatory for children between six and 16 and although there are no school fees, a shortage of educational facilities means that the majority of people cannot go to school.

Monrovia has a university, but only 38% of Liberia's population can read and write. Each individual ethnic group has managed to preserve its musical tradition. The Vai people, for example, usually hand down tribal customs and traditions to the young people in secret society meetings. Song and dance play a major part in rituals. As in other West African countries, the songs consist of calls and answers and are accompanied by a drum.